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INTRODUCING THE ADVERSARY (DEVIL)
Now you can not point to the word “devil” in the Song of Songs. But you can see his work all through the book. Where might you ask? Good question. All good questions point the way to a good answer.
The devil is in the beginning. The Shulamite starts off by saying, “Don’t look at me because I am dark.” She also says, “My brothers were angry with me.” So this also means she had issues with her family. Her parents did not protect her. Also the king will have to go to war. Why? Because the devil is raging on the borders of the kingdom, like a roaring lion, trying to destroy the kingdom with invading armies. There are several other places where we see the work of the devil; he is trying to destroy the kingdom from within and without. But where did this adversary come from? Another very good question and one that needs to be answered.
Lucifer was actually created by God. But God did not create his evil intentions. They came forth as his envious hatred for God grew. The Bible says God gave him amazing talents to do his job (Ezek. 28:15). What was his job? Well, he was simply a worship leader, an announcer of who God is and what He was going to do; he was an organizer, his job was to gather the eyes of the heart of heaven to worship God. His job was to look at God, listen to what He was saying, and share it with those people around him. Until one horrible moment!
The Bible, telling the story about Lucifer when he was with God in Heaven, states, “You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty….The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created. You were the anointed cherub who covers; I (God) established you (Lucifer); you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You (Lucifer) were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you” (Ezekiel 28:12-15).
Why would Lucifer, who was created by God and lived in His holy majestic presence, fall away? God further tells the story by declaring, “Your (Lucifer’s) heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor” (Ezekiel 28:17). Lucifer became prideful and envious of God. He wanted to be like God. He wanted to take God’s place.
The Lord of Heaven continues to unfold the story for those seeking understanding when He shares that Lucifer turned his heart towards evil and stated the five parts to his evil plan when he sinisterly declared, “For you (Lucifer) have said in your heart:
‘I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’” (Isaiah 14:13-14)
Lucifer was not satisfied, as evil never is, nor is evil capable of mercy, and he used his God-given talents to communicate and lead others astray. Deceptively, he shared his plan with the angels in heaven. In essence he challenges what God said (did God say?) and shares his five-part evil plan with the angels. He shares how he is starting a movement down the road, and their movement is gonna be better than God’s. He is actually just lyng. But do you know what? One-third of the angels believed Lucifer (Rev. 12:4). Jesus shares with the prophet Isaiah that the Godhead passed judgment on Lucifer and said, “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations!...Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit.” (Isaiah 14:12 & 15) As a result of this moment, Lucifer and the angels are kicked out of Heaven #1 (See note #1 below).
So, hopefully you are asking, “What did Lucifer do when he was cast out of Heaven to earth?”
Well, he wanted to get others to follow him. You see, there are two governments that surround God. The angels have governmental leaders; the Four Living Creatures. Also, humanity has governmental leaders in heaven; the Twenty-Four Elders. And these two governments have the choice to follow God or not. Why? Well if God forced the angels to be there, he would be a dictator, and they would not sing, “Holy, holy, holy Lord God almighty, who was, who is, and who is to come” (Rev. 4:8). In like manner, the Twenty-Four Elders also have a choice, and in Heaven they agree with the Four Living Creatures by sing, “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created” (Rev. 4:11). So, Lucifer already lied to the angels in Heaven, and the only other ones he had to lie to were humans on earth.
Lucifer viciously crept into the garden, which God had placed Adam in charge of. It was a place where Adam and Eve had a choice. There are two trees in the garden: Life vs. Knowledge of good and evil. (Life vs. Death). Why two trees? Because true love would never force someone to follow (Gen. 2:17). Lucifer deceived a serpent, who was given his name and job by Adam (Gen. 2:19), and through the serpent, he went to lie to Eve (Gen. 3:1). He starts his murderous lie by saying, “Did God really say?” This is the same thing he did with the angels of Heaven. The angels consumed his lie, while Eve also consumed the fruit of this lie, and Adam followed wholehearted and ate the fruit.
Lucifer hates G-O-D. He is anti-Christ, and he hates God’s covenant with Abraham. He completely hates humanity (especially women, and most especially marriage, which is why we are sharing this marriage story). But Lucifer's story of hatred and lies does not end there.
Jesus, warning the people of his day, explained that they were following their father Lucifer, just like the angels in heaven had long ago. John wrote down what Jesus articulated, “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44).
So where does this leave the Shulamite? Lucifer is still attacking her, and she ultimately is a picture of the Bride of Christ. Just listen to the way the adversary is attacking her (and those around her), because these may be some of the ways he is attacking you.
First, she says, “I am dark,” because she feels ugly on the inside. The king spends much of His time destroying this lie and building her inner-heart. In the same way, Lucifer hates you and attacks your identity in God by telling lies about who you are.
Second, Lucifer is attacking her through her family. She said, “My brothers were angry with me” (Song 1:5). And they made her a prisoner in her own home, as they made her work the field in the toilsome sun (Song 1:6) This also meant that she would have had problems with her parents as they had not protected her from the brothers. Today, Lucifer tries to attack our family and divide the very fabric of what God is building, a heavenly, united, forgiving family that displays His glory (John 17:20-26).
Thirdly, Lucifer is attacking her through the people around her. In the king’s court, people look at her mockingly, and some even strike and wound her (Song 5:7). Today, Lucifer is attacking the church. Everyone in the body of Christ, who is in the church, will be hurt by someone and also hurt someone. Jesus told us to forgive one another.
Also, Lucifer is attacking the borders of the kingdom, so the king has to go to war, and asks her to come with him to help protect the kingdom (Song 2:10). Today, Lucifer is attacking the nations of the earth, and God’s future Throne: Jerusalem. But Jesus warned us that there would be wars and rumors of wars. However, the end would not come until His plan was fully recognized (Matt. 24:6-7). This is just the beginning of sorrows, working until the fullness of the Gentiles (Rom. 11:25), the coming of the Son of Man in the clouds (Matt. 24:31), and all Israel is saved (Rom. 11:26). Even though different nations and races are attacking each other, Jesus prayed that the church would be one before He returned (John 17:20-26), and Paul further clarified that God will unite Jew and Gentile through the cross of Christ (Eph. 2:15).
In conclusion, even though Lucifer is not mentioned in this book, he still hates God, and is attacking humanity day and night. But the king, who speaks affectionately over the Shulamite, is a picture of King Jesus, who is speaking tenderly over your life today.
#1 ***Scripturally Lucifer still has the ability to come before God in Heaven when told (Job 1:6), and He will not be locked in hell until the start of the Millennial reign (Rev. 20:2). Then he will be released at the end of the 1,000 years, only to be consumed with fire not long afterwards and cast into hell forever (Rev. 20:7-10).